When I was younger and originally got braces (age 11), I had to have 4 molars removed as my mouth was over crowded. I never had any wisdom teeth (seems I'm not very wise. *a tear falls* lol)
Since then (age 34 now), I've had a further 4 molars removed due to well...cavities. Oops. *sheepish* Admittedly, it's not all my fault. The dentists have all said I brush my teeth and take care of them fine, but it's a lot to do with genetics and the position of my teeth (which is why I'm on this forum to begin with, obviously). I couldn't afford root canal surgery and the cavities were too severe to just have a filling, so they had to be removed completely.
So now, I have 1 molar on each side, top and bottom, apart from the top right side, which has 2 molars. 5 molars in total, and a total of 11 teeth on the top and 10 teeth on the bottom. This is not many teeth, is it? I find I must eat slowly as it takes a long time to chew properly food using those molars, as there's not many of them.
So. Is this actually an advantage when it comes to braces? There's a HEAP of space for the teeth (overbite / overjet on top 4-6 front teeth) to widen, right?
Is having less teeth a plus with adult braces?
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steviesloth
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Snowglobe32
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Re: Is having less teeth a plus with adult braces?
I had 3 molars extracted (at various times) long before I had braces. And I still have all my wisdom teeth.
The good news: With the execption of my bottom, left molar (the one before the wisom), the wires have been able to move the teeth into the open spaces. My ortho didn't want the wisdoms extracted because it provided stability for the missing teeth.
The bad news: My bottom left molar had lost too much bone, so my option now is to get an implant or a bridge. I am going to go with a bridge because of cost and the fact that I still have the wisdom tooth. I have had my braces for over 3 years and if that gap has closed at all, it is not noticable.
So, it is do-able but of course, you won't know for sure until you speak to an ortho. How long ago did you have those teeth extracted?
The good news: With the execption of my bottom, left molar (the one before the wisom), the wires have been able to move the teeth into the open spaces. My ortho didn't want the wisdoms extracted because it provided stability for the missing teeth.
The bad news: My bottom left molar had lost too much bone, so my option now is to get an implant or a bridge. I am going to go with a bridge because of cost and the fact that I still have the wisdom tooth. I have had my braces for over 3 years and if that gap has closed at all, it is not noticable.
So, it is do-able but of course, you won't know for sure until you speak to an ortho. How long ago did you have those teeth extracted?
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steviesloth
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Re: Is having less teeth a plus with adult braces?
Hmm, interesting.
I had the initial 4 molars extracted when I was 10 or 11 years old.
Then I had the other 3 extracted between about 3-5 years ago. One has left a very large gap. It would've been the third molar along (just before the smaller tooth, the nearest molar to my more front teeth), and it had a HUGE root. It bled for a very long time.
I had the initial 4 molars extracted when I was 10 or 11 years old.
Then I had the other 3 extracted between about 3-5 years ago. One has left a very large gap. It would've been the third molar along (just before the smaller tooth, the nearest molar to my more front teeth), and it had a HUGE root. It bled for a very long time.